In Awe of the Ore

Port Hedland, Karijini National Park and Point Samson

October 26 to November 1, 2015

We careered out of the Kimberley and plunged into the Pilbara. It's dry, hot and red, and it's all about mining. "In Awe of the Ore" is Garry's heading. I'm thinking he might make a good sub editor. What do you think Mr Phelan? 

Lou Fretten had the brilliant idea of taking a photo of a map to put our journey into context. Thanks Lou! I'll begin with them. 

Tracing our journey from the Kimberley, through the Pilbara to the Coral Coast.
Kununurra to Broome, south to Port Hedland, a wee diversion to Karijini National Park and on to Exmouth.

Our journey around Australia thus far. I don't think we can get much further from Greenwell Point.

Our first stop out of Broome was Eighty Mile Beach, a beautiful long strip of white sand and brilliant blue water. We arrived in 38 degree heat, set up camp and headed for the beach. Two problems: it is low tide and to reach the water we have to wade through a kilometre of sandy silt, and there are sharks galore. We take the shower option to cool off. 

At high tide the next morning we braved the sharks and had a very quick dip. 

Jen braving the shark-infested waters.

Only a sprinkling of sunset photos in this blog. Eighty Mile Beach turned it on for us. 

It's turtle nesting time and the mama turtles love Eighty Mile Beach. They lumber up the sand a few hours either side of  high tide to lay their eggs in warm dune hollows. It is an amazing sight. We kept our distance and were able to observe them perfectly in the moon light. I caught this lady on camera just as she was about to re-enter the water. She still has the sand on her back from her digging frenzy.

As we travelled south we became acutely aware of how the mining industry dominates the Pilbara. There are cattle stations scattered throughout but really it's all about mining, iron ore in particular. Port Hedland is one of the busiest working harbours in the world. Garry was intrigued by the ships, trucks, trains and infrastructure.

A large lady coming in to load. We counted about 20 huge ships waiting off the coast. 

Sneaking in another sunset pic highlighting the port facilities at Port Hedland.

The trains piled high with iron ore seem to go on forever. 

What does a fella do when he has to wait for a looooong train to pass?

... and when he spots a dump truck lying idle by the side of the road?

In the midst of all this industry and activity lies Karijini National Park, an oasis in this hot dry land. It is one of the most beautiful parks we have visited, dotted with clear pools, waterfalls and rivers meandering through spectacular red gorges.

Beautiful wildflowers. Splashes of delicate colours in a harsh environment.

This eucalyptus has grafted itself onto the burnt trunk of the original tree. 

You have to be tough to survive here. 

I loved our campsite. No one within cooee.
We had rain one evening accompanied by thunder and lightening. Fantastic.

The next night we had not-so-distant bush fires burning. 

Garry wanted to do a tour of Tom Price Iron Ore Mine, near Karijini, but there were not enough people to participate, so we packed up Myrtle and hightailed it to the coast. It was a pretty rugged old road but the scenery was quite fantastic. We got a good coating of Pilbara dust, Tom Parkin.

We pulled up at Point Samson, a lovely little town just north of the huge iron ore port of Dampier. Can you see some the ships waiting to load in the photo below?  They filled the horizon.

The nearby historic town of Cossack was the first port in the north-west but the harbour eventually proved too shallow and a series of cyclones almost blew it away. A few solid old buildings remain - such as the court house above - and have been lovingly restored.  

The temperatures really started to soar - 42 degrees - but you can only swim two hours either side of high tide. 

This is Honeymoon beach at high tide. 

This is the same beach at low tide. 

This was our view from the Point Samson caravan park. It was a lovely, lovely spot but the high temps and lack of swimming options have pushed us further south to the Coral Coast. Bye bye Pilbara.